1797 8 Reales, Peru -- Is It Real?

I first learned of the problem of fake 8 reales on this forum, and of course swamperbob's name came up in the discussion. Then I googled 8 reales fakes, and his name popped up on a bunch of the hits. I do hope does chime in.

This question comes up so often; perhaps we should create a sticky thread featuring swamperbob's 20 point checklist.

drk1 - Welcome first of all.

The coin certainly has a very nasty test cut which indicates to me right off that someone at some time was seriously suspicious of the coin.

Most test cuts to yield a piece of the coin metal indicate that the owner had the coin fire assayed (using cupellation) which was the best a "laboratory" could do in the time period when the coin was commonly seen in circulation. Today XRF is the best test.

The edge design is certainly poorly impressed on the edge and I can not locate the overlaps without reference to one of the faces of the coin.



Since you are familiar with my methods - first locate the two overlaps in the edge design - they must be EXACTLY opposite one another and of the same length. The Axis of the coin should be centered on these 2 points for two pictures. This allows anyone to check their length (number of segments) and their orientation to the face design (always have the same face of the coin appear in edge pictures). The angle has to be shallow under 30 degrees so the edge design is not distorted too much.



Doing the entire edge of an 8R sized coin will require no fewer than 8 pictures because both focus and apparent length distort quickly. However, if you want to check segment length along the entire perimeter 16 is much better.

If the overlaps are correct and if the edge design is appropriately added to the coin - then I would check using specific gravity. Since you do not have an accurate scale you may need to resort right away to XRF.

I would also suggest checking the test cut to see if there is any hint of an off metal core or a change in color of the metal.

Let me know what you find. The coin dies themselves look very good. It may very well be a genuine coin.

Thank you much Mr. Swamperbob! and Mr. Colonialjohn. I can scan and post a bunch of edge pictures, but I'm afraid I never did understand exactly what is meant by "the two edge overlaps," or how to identify them. I could take eight pairs of scans at an angle and that would likely include the pair of overlaps, I guess, since it should show everything.

There is some edge damage beyond the test cut, looks like there has been some paring away of silver, and the edge changes appearance the more silver has been removed. The inside of the test cut looks like it's solid silver.

Assuming the coin is genuine, is it a desirable coin? I got it because the detail was good — you can read all of the PLVS ULTRA, although the letters in front of the columns don't really show up in the scan. The edge damage is worse than I expected, though, and the cut nastier than I thought it was going to be. I've been considering asking the seller if they would accept it back, perhaps in exchange for an upgrade. I paid $150 for it.

This piece looks better than a 90% genuine probability - I normally do free (P&H of $10 for U.S. collectors) XRF analysis on exotic or KOOL items. Consider it real. XRF analysis are normally $75/coin. You can also start carrying a magnet and a portable scale with you ... also purchase the GNL book. Buy the book before the coin.

Colonialjohn, thank you for the additional information. BTW, what does GNL stand for?

Swamperbob, thank you for the diagrams. They make the "two overlaps" concept perfectly clear. I was envisioning something completely different, which would have most likely required a violation of the laws of physics.

Thank you to everyone who "chimed in."

Hi drk1, I think your coin is real.

I had made a discussion on two 1797 Peru 8 Reales as attached.

https://goccf.com/t/191360&SearchTerms=1797

My second coin is same as yours so I think it is real.